Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer told radio host Jason Rantz that he is willing to violate Washington State’s sanctuary policies in order to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in removing dangerous illegal immigrants.
“If I had an opportunity to talk to (border czar) Tom Homan, I’d tell him, ‘Put me on speed dial. You call me. We’ll be there to assist ICE in a New York second.’ Because by doing that, we’re protecting the citizens of our county,” Songer said, noting he is “willing to stand up against an unconstitutional state law, and I will help ICE.”
Songer emphasized that law enforcement needs to “stand up, in my opinion, and fight this woke nonsense.”
“They’re looking at socialism, Marxism,” he said. “That’s the push coming for the far left, and they bury us with this kind of nonsense, allowing illegals to run around our state committing crimes, or have committed crimes in the past.”
Washington State recently filed a lawsuit against a separate county assisting with immigration enforcement.
According to the lawsuit, Adams County’s sheriff is “illegally collaborating with federal immigration officials and aiding the Trump administration’s efforts to enlist local officials for federal civil immigration work.”
Sheriff Dale Wagner responded to the lawsuit by stating that his “top priority is ensuring the safety and security of our residents,” calling the filing a “disappointing attempt to hinder our ability to uphold public safety.”
“Our deputies take an oath to protect our communities from criminal activity, regardless of where it originates. The claim that we are engaging in ‘illegal federal immigration enforcement’ misrepresents the reality of law enforcement in Adams County,” he said. “We do not enforce federal immigration law, but we also will not turn a blind eye to criminal activity—no matter who commits it.”
